Letters to the editor - 25/09 - Vanity project, Open for business, Best of Twitter

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Vanity project

[Re: Labour’ prepared to drop support for HS2, yesterday]

We already have an alternative to HS2. It is called the East Coast Main Line. With careful investment to improve pinch points at junctions and bridges, its capacity and speed could be significantly improved at a fraction of the cost of building a new line. The West Coast Main Line received huge investment recently, and does not have capacity problems. Linking London with the East Midlands, Yorkshire, North East England and Scotland with a fast and efficient service will see lasting benefit. We must not waste money on this trophy project.

Labour’s pledge to cancel plans to cut corporation tax to reduce business rates for smaller firms is the latest in a series of ploys to pitch itself as the party of small businesses. But Ed Balls has overlooked some important details. First, coalition corporation tax cuts have spread a key message globally: that Britain is open for business. Secondly, already the majority of these punitive rates are being paid by larger businesses. And finally, small firms are often heavily reliant on larger ones for business that they do not get from the general public directly.

Simon Houghton

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